You have seen them zipping up and down South Kihei Road and probably were wondering what those funny little green carts were all about. Those are Turtle Tracks Maui shuttles. You can take them anywhere on South Kihei road. It costs $3 per ride and you can call them any time between 1:00 PM and 9:00 PM at 808-866-9979. If you don’t feel like driving or don’t want to have to be the designated driver give them a try.
Beautiful sunset sail aboard the Alii Nui. Plenty of whales, good food and drinks. Highly recommended. http://www.aliinuimaui.com
Looking for something to do, maybe it’s a rainy day? Check out the Maui Ocean Center.
Go north on Kihei Rd to Ma’alaea harbor. You can’t miss it.
UPDATE they have added a dome theater with a 3D whale movie where you seem to be inches away from the whales!
Biking Maui is one of the best ways to see the sights and enjoy the outdoors. You can rent bikes at a number of places close to the condo. The closest one is South Maui Cycles.
You can rent a basic bike for about $20 a day. A nice road bike will cost $30 to $60 per day.
Exit from the condo turning right onto South Kihei Rd and go North about 1.5 miles. It is on the right on the ground floor.
Be sure to check out this ride to La Perouse Bay.
Please check out the South Maui Volunteers http://www.southmauivolunteers.com. They do great conservation work in south Maui. Want to give back on your vacation? Meet up with them Monday mornings and they will put you to work.
Our magnificent coral reefs that we all love to snorkel around are in danger. Coral is a living organism that is being killed off by a number of factors. When the polyp organism in the coral dies the coral is said to have become “bleached” as only the mineral skeleton home of the polyp remains. A number of factors are causing this including global warming, changing ocean pH levels, and pollution.
Recent studies have shown that an active ingredient in most sunscreens called Oxybenzone causes deformities in coral larvae, making them unable to spread, and increases the rate of coral bleaching.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources is urging the public to pay close attention to the ingredients in their sunscreen. DLNR wants people to buy sunscreens that are Zinc or Titanium oxide based and to check the label on the bottle to make sure it does not contain Oxybenzone.
Please take a moment when you buy sunscreen to read the label or buy products that are marketed as “reef-safe” brands.
It is possible to avoid using sunscreen at all by using sun protective clothing; rash-guards, hats, coverups etc.
Every Friday there is a town party on Maui. These are such fun and a great way to get to know the local scene in a number of Maui (and Lanai) towns. And did I mention they are free? The Fridays are numbered from the first Friday of the month to the fourth and sometimes fifth. Each Friday party is in a different town. For example
For each of these parties the streets are closed to traffic and food vendors and food trucks are brought in. There is a musical group or two performing and many times local dance groups and classes come to perform.
Many of the vendors are community group fund raising events for local charities. Others are just ono grinds to eat.
These events are put on my the local communities and have a home spun vibe to them. However don’t make the mistake of thinking that the music is second rate. Here is a secret I will tell you about music on Maui. Only the best musicians can thrive here. Maui is one of few places you can make a living doing music due to the tourism and large number of gigs available. But the competition for doing this is high. What are considered “B” players on Maui are better than “A” players anywhere else. The music is always consistently great. Sometimes you will see top acts.
Justin Young at Wailuku first Friday
The festivities start around 6PM.
To get to Wailuku first Friday town party go to Wailuku town and park wherever you can near Main street. You probably will have to pay to park but often times it will be the Boy Scouts or something like that so pay da money.
For Lahaina second Friday town party is more spread out all along Front Street with the main stage near the banyan tree. Parking is always a challenge at Lahaina, good luck with that.
For Makawao third Friday party it is along Baldwin Avenue, take a look at this map for parking lots.
For Kihei fourth Friday party it is inside the Azeka mall mauka (towards mountain) parking lot off of South Kihei Road near the post office. You can park on the makai (towards ocean) side parking lot.
Fifth Friday is on the island of Lanai (still Maui county) so this takes more planning as you need to take the ferry to and from. You can get a package deal for $60 per person that includes the ferry and ground transport to/from Lanai City. The ferry leaves at 9:45 and if you miss it guess what? You are spending the night on Lanai so don’t get too drunk!
We always go to the Friday parties and you are really missing out of you don’t go. Bring your beach chairs and enjoy the music.
The Maui Tropical Plantation http://mauitropicalplantation.com has been around for a long time but as of late (2016) it has gone through a sort of re-birth and now we really recommend checking this place out as it has beautiful grounds and a good restaurant at the Mill House.
To get there go like you are going to Maalea harbor (where the aquarium is) but when you get to highway 30 turn right instead of left and follow that for a mile or so and you will see the entrance on the left.
The old plantation machinery has been used as decoration throughout the grounds and they even have the original steam locomotive on display that used to transport people and sugar in the 1800’s.
In addition to the Mill House restaurant, they also have a plantation tour tram that will take you through the plantation where you can see a wide variety of tropical plants and trees. They will even show you how to husk a coconut. The Maui Tropical Plantation Express Tram Tours run 7 days a week with seven daily tour times of 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM. Adult Tickets – $20.00. Child Tickets (ages 3-12) – $10.00.
You can also find the Country Store and the Kumu Farms stand here. On the weekends a lot of local vendors set up in the parking area.
ʻĪao valley (pronounced EE-YOW) is home to the ʻĪao State Monument and a nice walking spot. To get there go towards Wailuku town, turn left onto Main street. This becomes Iao Valley Road. Follow this for 2 miles and you are there.
Upcountry near the Surfing Goat Dairy you will find the Hawaiian Sea Spirits distillery. This is the home of Ocean Vodka. Ocean vodka is made from organic cane sugar that they grow and harvest right at the distillery. You can take a tour and see how they make the vodka from crushing the cane, running through their custom continuous still, to bottling in their unique round bottle. Tours are every half hour from 9:30 in the morning to 4 in the evening every day.
After the tour is a tasting where you can taste their special glacier water, the vodka, and their new rum. After the tasting you can check out the view where you can see both sides of the island.
To get there take the highway towards the airport but turn on Hansen road (near the sugar factory) then take Hansen to Pulehua. This forks to the left and becomes Omaopio Road. The distillery is a few miles up Omaopio towards Haleakala.
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